Automatic parts washer



Feb. 9, 1954 w. A. LEBUS 2,668,549

AUTOMATIC PARTS WASHER Filed April 28, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 9, 1954 w, us 2,668,549

AUTOMATIC PARTS WASHER Filed April 28, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 9, 1954 w. A. LEBUS AUTOMATIC PARTS WASHER 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 28, 1949 52 s 5 a m J a 5 W W f 1 w 4 v6 l 6/ I|| W)// "m W w 2 $3.

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W. A. LEBUS AUTOMATIC PARTS WASHER Feb. 9, 1954 Filed April 28, 1949 Patented Feb. 9, 1954 AUTOMATIC PARTS WASHER William A. Lebus, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Protectoseal Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application April 28, 1949, Serial N 0. 90,080

This invention relates to an automatic parts washer and its principal object is to provide a washer in which greasy, oily and dirty parts or articles may be automatically washed or cleaned.

It has especially among its objects the production of a device of the kind described which is eificient, compact and satisfactory, and a device in which inflammable and explosive cleaning materials may be safely used.

Another object is to provide a container for holding a quantity of naptha, gasoline or grease solvent or other cleaning fluid through which the parts to be cleaned are moved through the cleaning bath by a compressed air motor or other actuating means.

Another object is to provide an air motor having a reciprocating piston in its cylinder with a piston rod on which is supported a parts holding basket together with valve means to alternately direct compressed air above and below the top and bottom faces of the piston whereby to reciprocate the piston and therewith the basket carried thereby, whereby the parts contained therein are raised and lowered through the cleaning fluid.

Another object is to provide a container having a horizontal bottom partition or wall separating the upper part of the container which.

holds the cleaning fluid from the lower part thereby providing a chamber below the partition or bottom wall for containing the motor..

Another object is to provide means to prevent the cleaning fluid from leaking into the compressed air cylinder.

Many other objects andadvantages of the construction herein shown and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein given.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement, and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein likereference characters indicate like or corresponding parts:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the center line ll of Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a plan view with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the motor similar to Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the air motor;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in section, taken substantially. on line 6-5 of Fig. 4; 7

11 Claims. (Cl. 13456) Fig. 7 is a view substantially the same as Fig.

6 showing the parts in changed positions;

Fig. 8 is a view in elevation, similar to Fig. 5, viewed from the opposite side; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the valve plug member.

Referring to said drawings which are merely illustrative of one embodiment of the invention,

the reference character I0 designates a container provided with handles Ito and having a lid or cover I l hinged to its upper end and provided with fusible link means Ila to permit the lid to close by gravity in case the cleaning compound becomes ignited while the lid is in open position.

Adjacent the lower end of the container is a horizontal partitionor bottom wall l2 which is.

tion and a gasket interposed between the cy1inder and head. The head I6 may be formed with the circular flange l9 fitting the inner face of the cylinder wall. The lower end of the cylinder is closed by a head 20 which may be formed integral with the cylinder wall.

Reciprocating in the cylinder is a piston 2| which i mounted on a piston rod 22 and is secured thereto by a nut 23 or its equivalent on a reduced portion 24 of the piston rod. The upper head I6 is provided with a stulfing box 25 around the piston rod to prevent or minimize the compressed air from leaking out around the piston rod. From the periphery of the upper head It extends an annular flaring wall 25, and to a peripheral flange on the upper end of said wall is secured a flexible diaphragm 21 or its equivalent by a ring 28 and cap screws 29, the middle por-- tion of the diaphragm being formed with a hole through which the piston rod extends and which is secured to the diaphragm by clamp rings 30, 3! and cap screws 32. Sylphon phragm.

piston rod phragm is provided for the purpose of preventing any of the naphtha or other cleaning fluid from reaching the part of the piston rod which reciprocates l3. Supported by Obviously, 9,. bellows or bellows may be substituted for the dia- The ring 3| may be press fit upon the or otherwise secured thereto. The diathrough the stufling box and from entering or leaking into the cylinder. A vent pipe 33 which extends from the upper end of the container adjacent its side wall opens to the chamber 34 above the upper cylinder head through a port 35 and prevents any air in said chamber from being compressed in chamber 35 with injury to the diaphragm, as well as the escape oi any air that passed the stuffing gland.

Mounted upon the upper end of the piston rod is a basket supporting ring 36 formed with spider arms 31 that extend outward from a hub 38 which is fastened to the piston rod as by -a screw 39. Secured to the outer ends of the arms 3? are brackets 40 having upright portions M. to which is secured a basket retaining ring 62. The spider arms form a support or carrier for a parts basket 43 composed of foraminated side walls and a bottom wall whereby the naptha or the cleaning fluid may freely flow through the basket andpast the parts contained. therein. Two handles 44 are rivetedv or otherwise secured to the side walls of the basket to facilitate handling the same, and on the side walls of the basket are hooks 45 otherwise secured thereto and riveted orotherwisesecuredto the wall of the container. Adjacent the upper end of the container are loops 46 upon which: the basket may be suspended above the cleaning fluid.

When the parts have been cleaned, the basket islifted by the handles and hung upon the hooks to permit the cleaning fluid to drop or drain therefrom and to evaporate oh the parts.

Control mechanism. is provided for alternately directing the compressed air to the bottom of the piston and to the top thereof and providing valve controlled exhaust ports whereby the piston may discharge the air from that side of the piston opposite-to the one against which the compressed air is working. The. control mechanism will now be; described.

Projecting down. from the lower cylinder head 20 is. a valve casing. 50 formed with a bore 51 in which is. seated a. rotary oscillating valve 52 which controls the admission of compressed air to both. sides of the. piston, and the evacuation of? air therefrom. Onv one end of the valve is a flange; 52a: (see Fig. 9.) which bears against an end wall of the valve casing. To the other end of" the valve is secured a spring actuated arm 53: (see Figs. 1, 3; 5, 61 and 8) which oscillates thevalve at the ends of the strokes of the piston for the purpose of directing or controlling the movement of the air. A compressed air pipe (see.v Fig. 2) leading from a suitable source of air under pressure (not shown) leads to an air inlet pipe 55 (see Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8) which is threadedly. secured in. the valve casing 55 and opens through the orifice of an. orifice plate 56 and a washer 51 to a port 58 in the valve casing which leads to the valve (see Fig. 5). A regulating valve 59 and a shut off valve 50. may be interposed in the compressed air pipe 55 and a screen 6h may. be: provided in the air inlet pipe 55 to screen. out any foreign matter.

Thevalve 52:is formed with an annular groove 62; (see Fig. 9) in its cylindrical wall, which groove registers with the air inlet port 58 so that regardless of the position of thevalve, the groove will always be in communication with the port with compressed air being constantly admitted to said. groove.

Ehrtendinglengthwisealong the cylindrical face of the valve is. a straight groove 63 and one end of said straight groove 63 is arranged: to alter.- nately communicatewith. either; of two air passages 64, 55 depending upon the position of the valve (see Figs. 6 and '7). The air passage 64 leads through the valve casing to the lower end of the cylinder l5 and the air passage 65 leads through a pipe 66 to the upper end of the cylinder with its ends secured in the valve casing and the cylindrical wall. Ports 61 extend from the lower end of the pipe 66' to the valve 5%], and a port 68 connects the upper end of the pipe with the interior of the cylinder. When the groove 53 is in register with the port 69 of the air passage 64, compressed air is admitted to the lower end of the cylinder and moves the piston upward, and when said groove is in register with the port 61, compressed air is admitted to the upper end of the cylinder and moves the piston downward- The valve 52 is also formed with exhaust grooves 10, H in its cylindrical face which are alternately brought into register with the ports 69, 61 to alternately exhaust the air from the lower end of the cylinder and the upper end thereof. An exhaust port 72 leads from the.

exhaust groove it through the valve casing to the outer face thereof, and an exhaust port: l3 leads, from. the exhaust groove 1! through the valve casing to the outer face thereof. Each exhaust groove i0, '11 is of a length to connect the ports 64-12 (see Fig. 7.) and the ports 6l'l3 (see Fig. 6)., whereby when either exhaust groove 10 or H connects the ports associated with it, it permits the air at one side or the other of. the piston to exhaust from the cylinder.

To oscillate the valve at the ends of the strokes. of the piston, one end of the arm. 53 is connected to an extension 8.5: of the piston rod. 22 by a coiled tension spring 81, one end of which is connected to a pin 82 secured to and projecting laterally from the arm 53, the other end being connected to the extension 80. The arm 53' is movable fromthe position seen in Fig. 6 to that seenv in Fig. 7 and, stop shoulders 83. are formed on the valve casing to limit the angular movement of the arm to that required. for partially rotating the valve from the position shown in Fig. 6- to that shown 7..

When the piston. rod extension moves upward from the solid. line position shown in Fig. 8- to the dotted: line position shown in said figure, it brings the: longitudinal axis of the spring past the axis. of the valve and thereupon the spring swings the arm upward from. the position seen in Fig. 6 to that seen in Fig. '7, thereby partially rotating the valve from the position seen in Fig. 6 to that seen. in Fig. 7.

In operation. the part of the container above the partition or wall 12 is partly filled with naphtha, gasoline or other grease solvent or cleaning fluid. The parts to be washed are then placed in the basket 43 which at that time may be suspended from theloops-dfi. Thereafter, the

basket is lowered. to the spider arms 3'! of'the support, the lid is closed. and the compressed air turned onto the motor; As. a result the pistonand piston rod are reciprocated, thereby reciprocating, or lowering and lifting the basket support and therewith carrying said basket through the naphtha or other cleaning fluid. When the parts are thoroughly washed or cleaned, the compressed air is shut off, the lid raised and the basket lifted out of the cleaning fluid and suspended. from the loops cs. The cleaning'fluiddrainsor drips from the parts into the fluid below and it evaporates from the parts" leaving them clean and dry.

Referring to Fig. 1, Ha represents a' spring member and fusible link arranged on the cover I I. This need not be described in detail since no claims are directed specifically thereto, but it may be mentioned that when the cover H is raised, it pivots about the hinge l I and is maintained open by the spring. In case the cleaning fluid within the container becomes ignited, the flame or fire from the same will meltthe fusible link, and the cover II will be released from the spring holding member and drop' from gravity.

The washer is particularly useful in automobile garages, repair shops and the like when greasy or other parts require handling and are required to be cleaned before being replaced in the object from which they were removed.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form,

construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described or uses mentioned.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a parts cleaning device of the kind described and in combination, a container for volatile cleaning fluids, a cover therefor, a receptacle carrier, a receptacle removably mounted 4 on said carrier, reciprocating means adapted for periodically raising and lowering the carrier in the receptacle including a vertically reciproeating shaft extending into the container through the bottom thereof, an air motor comprising a cylinder operatively mounted on the bottom of the container and provided with ports, a piston therein secured to said shaft, and meansfor automatically controlling the operation of said air motor, comprising a valve operatively mounted on the cylinder and a shaft extension extending through the bottom of the cylinder and operatively connected to the valve for alternately controlling the admission and discharge of air through said ports operatively located above and below the piston, a detachable cylinder head for the cylinder positioned within the container and adapted for journalling the shaft, flexible diaphragm means operatively mounted on the cylinder head adjacent the bottom of the container and secured to said shaft, and means secured to the peripheral edge of the flexible diaphragm means and anchoring the same to the cylinder head for sealably enclosing the area of said container immediately surrounding said shaft at its point of entrance into said container.

2. In a device of the kind described and in combination, a volatile cleaning fluid container, a cover therefor, a receptacle carrier, a receptacle removably mounted on said carrier, reciprocating means for periodically raising and lowering the carrier in the container including a vertically reciprocating shaft extending into the container through the bottom thereof, a fluid motor comprising a cylinder operatively mounted on the bottom of the container, a piston therein secured to said shaft for reciprocating the same, and means for automatically controlling the operation of said motor, a cylinder head for the cylinder positioned within the container and adapted for journalling the reciprocating shaft, said head comprising an annular flaring wall, flexible diaphragm means adjacent the bottom of the container operatively mountedon said annular flaring wall and secured to said shaft,

means adapted for securing the peripheral'edge of said flexible means to the annular flaring wall for anchoring the same to the bottom of said container, and a vent pipe communicating with the sealed space between the container bottom and the diaphragm means and extended to adjacent the upper part 'of the container.

3. In 'a device of the kind described and in combination, a volatile cleaning fluid container provided with a cover, a receptacle carrier arranged within'the container, a shaft upon which said carrier is mounted depending from the carrier through the bottom of the container, a fluid motor comprising a cylinder operatively mounted on and arranged below the container bottom for reciprocating said shaft, means for automattically controlling the operation of said fluid motor comprising valve means operatively mounted on said cylinder and operatively connected to an extension of'said shaft contiguous to said valve means, a cylinder head for the aforesaid cylinder comprising a cup-shaped member secured to the container bottom at the interior thereof and surrounding said shaft and providing a seal therefor, a flexible diaphragm secured to said shaft with its outer peripheral edge secured .to said cup-shaped member at the upper edge thereof, and a vent pipe communicating with the space provided by the cup-shaped member below said diaphragm and extending to adjacent the top of the container, said cupshaped member and said flexible diaphragm serving to sealably enclose the area immediately surrounding said shaft at its point of entrance into said container.

4. In a cleaning device of the kind described and in combination, a cleaning fluid container provided with a cover, a receptacle carrier arranged within the container, a shaft upon which said carrier is removably mounted, extending from the carrier through the bottom of the con tainer, a fluid motor comprising a cylinder operatively mounted on and arranged below the container bottom for reciprocating said shaft, means for automatically controlling the operation of said fluid motor comprising valve means operatively mounted on the cylinder and an extension shaft operatively connected to the first-mentioned shaft and to said valve means, a cylinder head operatively mounting said shaft and comprising a cup-shaped member secured to the con tainer bottom at the interior thereof and surrounding said shaft, a flexible diaphragm secured to said shaft with its peripheral edge secured to said cup-shaped member at the upper edge thereof for sealably enclosing the area of said container immediately surrounding said shaft at the point of entrance thereof into said container.

5. In a device of the kind described and in combination, a volatile cleaning fluid container including a safety 'cover therefor, a receptacle carrier arranged within the container, a removable receptacle disposed in said carrier, a shaft upon which said carrier is removably mounted extending from the carrier through the bottom of the container, an air motor comprising a cylinder operatively mounted on and arranged below the container bottom for reciprocating said shaft, means for automatically controlling the operation of said air motor, a cup-shaped member secured to the container bottom at the interior thereof and surrounding said shaft and'adapted to provide a seal therefor, means for preventing leakage of fluid from the container'down'the snaft'consisting or a flexible die to said. shaft with its peripheral edgevsecured to said cup-shaped memberat the upper edge there'- of, and a vent pipe communicatingwithi-the sealed space provided by said diaphragm and the cup-shaped member and toadgiacent the topof the container;

6. A parts cleaning device including-in combination acontainer :ior volatile cleaning fluids, a parts receiving basket removably: arranged within said container, automatically controlled air motor means for reciprocatingly moving said parts receiving basketawithin saidcontainer, said air motor means comprising a cylinder mounted on and arranged below-said container, a-cylinder head for said cylinder aiiix-ed to the bottom of said container, said air motor means vincluding a vertically. disposed passing through the bottom or said container and reciprocatingly movable withrespect thereto and journaled and scaled by, said cylinder head, an annular flaring wallra'flixed to said container, and flexible means secured-to said shaft and to said annular flaring wall for sealably, enclosing with said cylinder head the area of said containerimmediately surrounding said-shaft at the pointof entrance thereof into saidcontainer.

'7. A parts cleaning device including in combination a container for volatile cleaningfiuids comprising a fused safety cover ior said container, a parts receiving, basket removably arranged within said container automatically controlled .air motor means for reciprocating'ly moving said .partsreceivmg basket'within said container. said air motor means comprising a cylinder mounted on and arranged below said container, a cylinder -headL-for said cylinder detachably aifixed to the bottom of said container, said air motor means also including a vertically disposed shaft passing through thebottom of said containerand reciprocatingly movable with respect thereto and journaled and sealed by, said cylinder head, said cylinder head. comprisin an integrally formed annular flaring wall, flexible means securedto said shaft and to said annular flaring wall for sealably enclosing with said cylinder head the area of said container immediately surrounding saidshaf-t at the point of entrance thereof into said container.

"8. The combination in a cleaning device comprising a container forv a cleaning fluid, .a receptacle adapted to receive the material to. be cleaned and to be reciprocatedwithinthe container, and fluid motor means including .a cylinder operativelymounted onthe container and a reciprocating shaft extending through the container and operatively connected to the receptacle for (reciprocating the receptacle, of sealing means contiguously mounted to the shaft at its common entrance -.to thecontainer and the cylinder, said sealing means including flexible means operativelyafiixedlandsealed to thes'haft and to the bottom of the container forming :a sealed space, whereby the cleaning Lfluid within the container and theactuating fluid within the cylinder of the fluid motor means aresealedifrom each other, and means for venting the sealed space aroundthe shaft whereby fluid leakage from the cylinder of the fluid motor means into thesealed-space is vented :butcleaning fluid within the container is prevented from entry within thefluid motor means. 7

-9. lhe combination inn-cleaning device comprising -a, container for :a cleaning -fluid,,.a ireceptacle adapted to receive the material to be cleaned, and, to be reciprocateri' within theconminer, and air motor means including. .a cylinder operatively mounted on the container and. a reciprocating shait extending, through the container and operatively connected to the receptacle for reciprocating the receptacle, of sealing means contiguously mounted to the shaft at its common entrance to the container and the cylinder providing a sealed space around the shaft at its point of entry in the cylinder at the junctureof the cylinder with the bottom of the container, a liquid seal for the shaft adapted-for journalling the shaft, and means for venting the sealed space around theshait, whereby air leakage-from the cylinder of the air motor means into the sealed space is vented but liquid within the container is prevented from entry within the air motormeans.

10, The combination in a cleaning device comprising a container for a cleaning fluid, a receptacle adapted to be reciprocated within the contamer, and fluid motor means includinga cylinder-.operatively mounted on the container, a movable piston within the cylinder, ports within the cylinder vadapted for admitting fluid on opposite sides of the piston for actuating the piston, areciprocating shaft extending through the container and operatively connected to the receptacle rfor reciprocating the receptacle, of valve means .operatively mounted in a plane transverse tothe reciprocating shaft onothe bottom of the cylinder, contiguous to the axis of the reciprocating shaft and adapted to be connected to a source of fluid under pressure, said valve means operatively connected to the ports of the cylinder, said valve means comprising .a housing, a ported rotatable valve member therein, an extension shaft operatively connected to the reciprocating shaft, contiguous to the valve means, a lever arm operatively connected to the rotatable valve member, spring means operatively connecting the lever arm and the extension shaft vfor biasing the lever arm in either direction upon reciprocation of the reciprocating shaft, whereby as fluid under pressure is admitted to the valve means, reciprocation of the piston in opposite directions is controlled'by the actuation of the valvemeans as the to and fro movement of'the extension shaft actuates the spring biased lever arm to control'the rotatable valve member for the alternate admission of fluid to either side of the piston.

11. The combination with'a fluid motor includ 'ing a cylinder, a piston adapted to be 'reciprocated within'the cylinder, :a reciprocating shaft operativelyconnectcd to the pistonand adapted to impart reciprocatory movement to a device operatively connected thereto, of an extension shaft operatively extending from the opposite end of the cylinder and connected to the piston, said cylinderprovided' with ports for the admission of fluid to "opposite sides of the piston for actuating the piston, valve means operatively mounted in a plane transverse to the axis of the extension shaft onthe cylindercontiguous to the axis of the-extension shaft and adapted to be connected to a source of fluid under pressure, said valve means operatively 'connectedto the ports of the cylinder, said valve means also comprising a housing, a ported rotatable member therein, a lever arm operatively connected to the rotatable valve member in a'plane parallel tothe axis of the extension shaft and transverse to the axis of the rotatable member, spring means operatively connecting the lever arm and the free end o'fvthe extension shaft forbiasing the "lever arm in either direction upon reciprocation of the extension shaft, whereby as fluid under pressure is admitted to the valve means to cause movement of the free end of the extension shaft above or below the axis of the rotatable valve member, the rotatable valve member is biased by the spring means for alternate admission of fluid to either side of the piston to reciprocate the reciprocatory shaft.

WILLIAM A. LEBUS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 853,700 Labonty May 14, 1907 1,737,480 Troy Nov. 26, 1929 1,886,578 Pedrazzo Nov. 8, 1932 Number Number 15 124,722 339,477

Name Date Fredericks Mar. 26, 1935 Emmerling et a1. Apr. 14, 1936 Anschicks Apr. 25, 1939 Anschicks Dec. 23, 1941 Lebus Mar. 9, 1943 Wilson Apr. 6, 1943 St. Laurence Apr. 27, 1948 Horvath Feb. 28, 1950 Abresch June 20, 1950 Stageberg Sept. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Switzerland Feb. 16, 1928 Great Britain Dec. 11, 1930 

